Bocca Yi

Just finished making a double batch of green tomato salsa verde, froze some and canned some. Canned for gifts, froze for cooking.

I've made green tomatoes marmalade,  everyone enjoyed except for me but it tasted fine. 🤷‍♀️

My absolute favorite is green tomato mincemeat. If you like mincemeat that's meatless.

Last summer a woman was selling Whiting true blue chickens so I got 3
They eat all slugs, especially the big ones.  As a matter of fact they fight over them, mice also. Huge foragers and blue eggs.
We have 3 but I can only find a photo of 2 of them, missing is Lucy.

Thank you for sharing this info but how did you find the information that told you what would or wouldn't graft?

I've a lime, nasty thorns n all. Can't kill it thankfully because I'm on my 4th meyer lemon, second kumquat.
Wanted to graft onto the lime since it surives all my abuses. I don't know where to find the information needed to know if that will work.

We are contemplating a big move, I could maybe take one tree so if I could graft onto the lime.

One more question,  what are the bucket lights for, could you explain a bit about them.

I do not have experience with that breed. I went for Whiting true blue because of their ability to tolerate hot summers & cold winters plus excellent foragers. Oh and they lay blue eggs. haha blue eggs always makes me laugh, reminds me of green eggs and ham

Copy from the book

I've meant to try a similar recipe for years. A friend's family recipe was something I looked for for years as they wouldn't share the recipe.  The cookies were flat and well, I don't even remember any more.
Since they wouldn't share the recipe I went looking for one. Bought the book- Festive Baking by Sarah Kelly Iaia and started making Honigkuchen Vom Blech, Decorated Lebkuchen Sheet Cake and sometimes Honigkuchenwurfel, Honey Cake Swears, a filled Lebkuchen.  
Both absolutely delicious.


They should be made in October but haha I always end up making them in December.  *If* any of them don't get eaten, they last for months and only improve.

Good thing I don't bake like this year round!

I'll post photos from the book

We lived in Michigan for a number of years, the kids and I found a wild crabapple, it made the best jelly. The first year we found it I made jelly and my first loaf of anadama bread. Heaven!

Wish I knew what variety it was.

Northern spy is readily available at orchards back east but honestly any orchard area should have a wide array of apples fine for pies.

You'll never find the good apples in stores, Americans eat the most boring apples.

I'd love to grow a pippin, it's on my list for our next home. We are contemplating a move next summer so I haven't planted anymore trees. We've got a jonagold which I quite like for the tart factor. Oh that reminds me, many varieties of goldens are much better orchard or home grown and do not resemble the insipid ones in stores.

Many years ago I was able to visit the rodale test orchard in Pennsylvania.  I wasn't even gardening at the time as we were renters.
Anyway, the orchard had 2 sections one untreated and the other sprayed with clay.
The trees sprayed with clay looked like they were covered in a light gray ash, the woman there said the apples had no pests.
I've been wanting to try this method but never have gotten around to it.

The timing of this is perfect!
We have 2 grandchildren that come over often and want to craft, I struggle with coming up with ideas.
While I consider myself crafty enough and my stepmom made sure I had plenty of crafts as a kid, I still struggle with this!